There are different models and several calibers so I do not know where to post this?

M 25, 625, 29, 686 etc etc. 357 mag 45 Colt, 41 Mag, 44 Mag.........

What distinguishes it to earn the name Mountain??

The grips(stocks)??

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Still Running Against the Wind

Light(er) weight, skinny barrel, easy to carry, and a substantial caliber fit for man or beast!

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Even older, even crankier....

They have the thin "pencil" 4" barrel. The round butt, but dont all newer "N" frames? I suppose they call them mountain guns because a light gun sounds more appealing when your sweating up a mountain at 10,000 ft. A marketing gimmick. Consider this: Why is there not a .44 special mountain gun? Because they have been makeing them long before the marketing name. The 4" model 24-3. Oh! It doesnt have the round butt! In 4" this also was around since 1950 (The 1950 target).

I have a M 25 in 45 Colt . It's a Mt Gun. There are 25"s in 45 ACP also that are Mt Guns I would think a MT gun would need to be at lease 41 Mag, 45 Colt or 44 Mag ,Handloaded 44 Special perhaps.

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Still Running Against the Wind

Just saying amen to Rule 3. Here is my 25-5 in .45 colt. Same gun except the heavier straight barrel. The round butts came after mine on all of the N frames. I like the lighter barrels better myself. Also my 25 has the wider target trigger and hammer makeing it slightly heavier and bulkier too. (Cant be much)

Technically since Smith & Wesson makes a Mountain Gun in .357 then really the Model 27's and 28's with short barrels count as by extension the Model 24's and 624's with 4-inch barrels. So I would like to add that any 3 1/2 inch or 4-inch barreled Model 27 would work as would the 4-inch Model 28.



I did have a Model 25-13 Mountain Gun once, like the .45 Colt.

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Vaya con Dios

I will consider these my two Mt guns in blue with fixed sights.

What makes a plastic framed revolver or semi-auto a Bodyguard?

What makes a semi-auto a Chiefs Special?

What makes a semi-auto pistol or a rifle an M&P?

If a man says something and there's no women around to hear him, is he still wrong?

In the first three cases, Smith & Wesson made 'em so they can name them anything they want.

This is NOT a Mountain Gun... it's a Mountain Revolver!



BTW, what makes you Rule3? I thought rule 3 had to do with descending into personal attacks on other members.

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"I also cook."

The same thing that distinquishes zombie ammo to be specifically for zombies . . . marketing!

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- Change it back -

Funny guy. I did not fire the first shot across the bow.

No it makes me "OBTUSE"

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Still Running Against the Wind

A "Mountain Gun" from S&W usually has a thinner tapered barrel and a slight bevel on the front of the cylinders and a round-butt frame. This was all done in the name of "lightening" a gun to make it more packable in higher altitude situations.

All that said, I have a 4" Model 629 and a Mountain Gun configuration in the same revolver, a 4" Model 629. The Mountain Gun 629 was 2 oz. lighter and negligible in recoil compared to the regular Model 629. I doubt it made it "carry" any easier although I cannot really say as I did not carry either revolver in the mountains!

Here is a little pic of the Mountain Gun.

S&W 396 is marked and called the 'Mountain Light'. In 44 Special this five shooter weights in at 21.5 oz on my postal scale. With a three inch barrel and Winchester Silver Tips, it makes a very nice carry package.

A fine shooter, with a 165gr 'Lucky Lennie' lead bullet, loaded under 5-6 grains of TB.

While on occasion I carry my 696, the 396 is much more comfortable on my old body.

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the world is round everywhere

To me. a 'Mountain Gun" is a 4" N frame with a tappered barrel, "Black powder" cylinder and a round butt frame

The "Mountain Gun" has certain common features,
1, 4" Tapered barrel
2, Round butt
3, Baughman ramp with black blade,
4, Chamfered cylinder edges
5, Stainless steel
6, Magnum caliber
Some have a blued finish, some without chamfered cylinders, some are not magnums but,
they all have the first three features in common so I suppose they are the 3 necessary things and
the others would be kinda like MG options

A mountain gun is light (yes, S&W calls it a gun, written on the barrel, despite the USMC dogma), a little over 40 oz in .44 magnum. I took mine to the range today, and fired about 50 rounds through it. After the first couple of cylinders, my hand turned numb enough I didn't have to shake it between rounds. I could load up some .44 specials, but there's something special about flattening primers with the real stuff.

I also have a 3" .44 Mag, not a Mountain gun but about the same weight. If I head for the mountains, that's the one I'll probably take.

This is probably the best explanation of what a Mountain Gun is that I have read. Both of my 625 Mountain Guns have smooth wide triggers. Could that be added, or are there exceptions (like with most Smith guns)?

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Proud anachronism

if your carrying a gun ( any gun ) in the mountains,"it's a mountain gun"....i live in fla.,so today i was carrying my "beach" gun.

Or a swamp gun

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Forum consigliere

Here is one of the first 625 mountain guns a SAC in 45 ACP.

I hate you.

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NHI, 10-8.

Ding Ding Ding we have a winner!
C.B.

My personal opinion is that the light skinny barrel on the Mountain gun increases muzzle flip and abuse to the hand and wrist. With full power loads in my .44 Mag Mountain Gun, it is pretty hard on the shooter, and makes a follow-up shot pretty tough to get rapidly.
The regular contour 4" barrel doesn't add more than 1 1/2 or 2 ounces to the overall weight, and should be a bit easier on the hand. Shooting .44 Specials is a breeze, but kinda defeats the original intent of the gun.
JMO,

Myron

Oops! My Mountain Gun (as labeled on the barrel) came from the factory with a red-ramp front sight and white outline rear sight. So much for #3. It also has a Grizzly Bear etched on the side plate. No rules with Smith and Wessons.

In the strictest sense, a Mountain Gun says Mountain Gun on the barrel. There are several common features, a light barrel, black powder bevel on the front of the cylinder, & they come standard with plain black sights. Of course, as always with S&W, about any option in the catalog could be special ordered (as in red & white sights). Caliber has been 357 Mag, 41 Mag, 44 Mag, 45 Colt, & 45 ACP. They have been produced in both blue & stainless, & labeling as Mountain Gun started after S&W had quit building square butt guns (I'm pretty sure of that, anyway), so yes, round butt. IMHO, if it doesn't say Mountain Gun on it, it's not. Most seem to agree the Mountain Revolver was the predecessor of the Mountain Gun.

But the one that is worth the most is the few 686-5 357mag. Mountain Revolvers that was made.

My 629 Mountain gun came with a pinned red ramp front sight and a white outline rear.It is also labeled on the bbl Mountain Gun.

I couldn't find a "Mountain Gun", so I had a 4" tapered barrel installed on a .45acp M-625 that originally came with a 5" heavy barrel....

Before:



After:

So let me get this straight, you are paying more for less when buying a mountain gun? Seems like it would not be worth it and get the regular model. Now if it was a scandium frame with a 4" barrel and in a magnum caliber then THAT would be a mountain gun. You want to reduce weight when hiking in the mountains so why only shave off a couple of ounces? I would assume a scandium frame would be the best fit.

James

I traded off my pair of mt guns as soon as I laid eyes on the 329pd's , they don't say mountain gun on them but they get used as such until something better comes along.

Bingo. It's a marketing ploy that many people bought into...hook...line...and sinker. Much more $$ for a couple less ounces at the cost of more recoil and muzzle flip. Not a great trade-off. But it does say MG on the barrel ! Some people will shell out the extra $$ for the looks of it. It probably does have better resale value. To each his own.

[QUOTE=David LaPell;136599086]Technically since Smith & Wesson makes a Mountain Gun in .357 then really the Model 27's and 28's with short barrels count as by extension the Model 24's and 624's with 4-inch barrels. So I would like to add that any 3 1/2 inch or 4-inch barreled Model 27 would work as would the 4-inch Model 28.

I think you "hit the nail on the head" with that comparison.

*
How many were made? One of them is not all that far from me right now ... about 15 feet. It shoots just fine, thank you.

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NHI, 10-8.